White-throated Magpie-Jay (Cyanocorax formosus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

White-throated Magpie-Jay

Cyanocorax formosus (Swainson, 1827)

56 cmLength210 gWeight

The white-throated magpie-jay (Cyanocorax formosus) is a large Central American species of magpie-jay.

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua

White-throated Magpie-Jay has been recorded at 108 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 6 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Finca La GraciaGuatemala2,745 records
  2. Ensenada Lodge [Área General]Costa Rica1,729 records
  3. Cerro LodgeCosta Rica1,084 records
More places
  1. Parque del BicentenarioEl Salvador953 records
  2. Ecoparque El EspinoEl Salvador850 records
  3. RNP Los Tarrales – sendero La RinconadaGuatemala818 records
  4. RNP Los TarralesGuatemala803 records
  5. RNP Los Tarrales – sendero a la playa y lagunaGuatemala745 records
  6. Zamorano Univ. – Campus Farms and River 740-815 maslHonduras695 records
  7. Raptor RidgeCosta Rica626 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Costa RicaGuatemalaNicaraguaEl SalvadorHondurasMexico

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The white-throated magpie-jay (Cyanocorax formosus) is a large Central American species of magpie-jay. It ranges in Pacific-slope thorn forest from Jalisco, Mexico, to Northern Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Magpie-jays are noisy, gregarious birds, often traveling in easy-to-find flocks, mobbing their observers.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the White-throated Magpie-Jay?

The White-throated Magpie-Jay is about 56 cm long and weighs around 210 g.

Where does the White-throated Magpie-Jay live?

Its breeding range: Middle America: southern Mexico to Costa Rica. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

When is the best time to see the White-throated Magpie-Jay?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the White-throated Magpie-Jay endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the White-throated Magpie-Jay as Least Concern.

What does the White-throated Magpie-Jay eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the White-throated Magpie-Jay in?

It belongs to the family Crows, Jays (Corvidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
56 cm
Weight
210 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
195 mm
Tail
309 mm
Bill
41 mm
Tarsus
47 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Middle America: southern Mexico to Costa Rica

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Crows, Jays Corvidae
Genus
Cyanocorax

Other birds in the genus Cyanocorax

Black-throated Magpie-JayBlack-throated Magpie-JayCyanocorax collieiBrown JayBrown JayCyanocorax morioAzure JayAzure JayCyanocorax coeruleusViolaceous JayViolaceous JayCyanocorax violaceusPurplish JayPurplish JayCyanocorax cyanomelasCurl-crested JayCurl-crested JayCyanocorax cristatellusGreen JayGreen JayCyanocorax yncasWhite-tailed JayWhite-tailed JayCyanocorax mystacalisBushy-crested JayBushy-crested JayCyanocorax melanocyaneusYucatan JayYucatan JayCyanocorax yucatanicusPurplish-backed JayPurplish-backed JayCyanocorax beecheiiSan Blas JaySan Blas JayCyanocorax sanblasianus
White-throated Magpie-Jay

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dominik Hofer. ↗

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